ADKX, Wild Center Working on Diversity

The Adirondack Experience (ADKX) and The Wild Center have received significant grant funding to advance their own diversity goals and those of the region.

The funding is expected to enable them to conduct research and staff training, and revise internal policies and procedures. The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), a federal agency, is supporting the initiative with a $211,874 grant from its “Museums Empowered” program. Empire State Development (ESD)’s “Market New York Program” will provide an additional $129,945 in funding.

“Support from the federal and state levels represents an opportunity to reach out to underrepresented communities to gain a better understanding of how the Adirondacks are viewed and why or why not people choose to live in or visit the region,” and announcement sent to the press said.

ADKX and The Wild Center, are planning to conduct focus groups and online surveys with members of the African American and Latino communities in four metro areas surrounding the Adirondack Park: Plattsburgh, the Capital Region, Utica, and Syracuse. The research, to be carried out by People, Places & Design Research of Northampton, MA, is expected to identify both obstacles and opportunities ADKX and The Wild Center face in their efforts to serve people of color.

The results of the research is expected to be shared with nonprofits and government agencies throughout the Adirondacks in late 2020 or early 2021. Depending on the findings, future research might be carried out with additional communities of color in the four metro areas. Additional areas might also be identified for similar research projects.

“Everyone is concerned about the extremely low numbers of people of color among visitors to our institutions and our region,” Adirondack Experience Executive Director David M. Kahn said in the announcement of the grants. “Finally, we will have some real data to work with to help us figure out what we can do about the situation and take appropriate action. We’re very excited about the possibilities.”

“We believe that the Adirondack Park can be welcoming to all visitors,” Wild Center Executive Director Stephanie Ratcliffe said. “It’s incumbent on us to make everyone feel as though they belong. This investment is a step forward in identifying where we may fall short of that goal and what steps we can put in place to reach it.”.

ADKX and the Center are also partnering with Dr. Donathan Brown and Cindy Rodriguez of Adirondack Diversity Solutions to address staff recruitment, retention, and professional development policies and procedures. A group of three experts from the museum world are also providing guidance: Ann Hernandez of the Washington D.C.-based Association of Science and Technology Centers; Dr. Porchia Moore, Inclusion Catalyst at the Columbia Museum of Art in South Carolina; and Cecile Shellman, consultant in diversity, equity, accessibility and inclusion for museums and former Diversity Catalyst at the Carnegie Museums in Pittsburgh.

ADKX and Wild Center year-round and seasonal staff are expected to participate in a diversity-training program to better enable the two organizations to serve the needs of diverse visitors. Hiring and human resource management policies are also being reviewed as part of the project to assist the two organizations in diversifying their staffs.

ADKX and the Center are working to coordinate their efforts with the Adirondack Diversity Initiative (ADI), a consortium of nonprofit organizations working to develop and promote strategies to help the Adirondack Park become more welcoming and inclusive of all New Yorkers and visitors to the region. ADI recently hired its first Executive Director, Nicole Hylton-Patterson.

26 Responses

Just look at the photos of the members of all the various groups in the Adirondacks; from ADK to you name it. Almost all white. Almost all Christian if you look at the surnames.
Think of the experience of the black Sierra Club exec. awhile back and the experiences of bigotry, racism and antiSemitism that continues to this day.. the looks, the comments heard. Let’s be real here folks. Systemic prejudice is alive and ugly, especially in places homogeneous populations. eg. the Adirondacks
I hate being negative. I know many wonderful Adirondackers with only love of everybody in their hearts, but this isn’t going away. Some adults can become enlightened and change but its the early education of the young that is vital to future change and inclusiveness.
If this fails, our beloved Park will suffer culturally, economically and the protections so vital to the Forest Preserve will be eroded for lack of statewide support.

Well said. We should also point out that it’s not for people to tell others how they feel. This is a well documented problem, it’s been discussed by every day people and professionals of every stripe. People have done a lot of work to better understand the problem, seek input from those affected, and work with whoever is interested toward solutions. The negetive commenters here have done none of that – they simply have an opinion.

If I read this right, this is over $300,000. I understand the goal of sensitivity and diversity awareness, but the fine hardworking folks in the ADKs could really use that funding to help them survive and prosper. There is suffering that goes unseen.

““Everyone is concerned about the extremely low numbers of people of color among visitors to our institutions and our region,” Adirondack Experience Executive Director David M. Kahn said in the announcement of the grants.”

Why does this have to be about race? Maybe people of color do not wish to come to the region! Maybe it’s a cultural thing…theirs. It’s not like there are signs up along the Northway “No people of color allowed.” This is so strange to me like just about everything else nowadays. And what I also still find strange is that we don’t have the ‘Adirondack Museum’ anymore, we erased that name from that institution and gave it a name that just doesn’t fit. Nowadays when I walk in there it feels so different because it is not the ‘Adirondack Museum’ anymore. It’s almost the same as somebody coming along and changing my name, that i’ve had since hour one, to Gilbert. Has the name change brought more people to it? Are they faring better because it is now the Adirondack Experience? Every thing is just so strange anymore.

Thank you, Charlie S. I agree with you. Has anyone done a good poll of our dear fellow citizens of color why they don’t come to our region? Maybe, just maybe, it does not seem attractive to them? Being a “ foreigner” myself, I have never felt any lack of friendliness, openness or hospitality in the Park. If that were the case, I would not have moved here!

Charlie this may seem strange to you since you clearly do not understand things like the barriers that some people experience. They are not “signs” on the road. How do you know that a person may not feel particularly included or welcome or comfortable like you do or did? Comments like this confirm that there is the problem. Go read up on diversity and inclusion and educate yourself and get back to us.

I agree. Race may certainly play a role, but I feel culture and socioeconomic factors may play a bigger role. I hope they do not limit the studies to race factors alone. Perhaps these studies will find a way to differentiate these factors, or perhaps they will find they are inseparable.

I grew up in a farming area of PA that was predominantly white. My hometown had a population of about 1500. There were never more than a few non-white families in the area at any given time. I have always been uncomfortable in more urban areas (like Plattsburgh), and virtually terrified in big cities. I avoid urban areas and big cities like the plague. I don’t get to many museums as a result. Is that because I am white, or just unfamiliar with cities? Could I learn to be comfortable in a city – probably, but what is my incentive to find out? Would my life be better there? Perhaps these studies will give us some answers, but cultural factors, gender factors, and socioeconomic factors need to be considered as much as racial factors in determining what makes each of us tick. Some people simply may not feel comfortable in rural or wilder areas.

I know barriers Paul! This is a very close-minded society, where barriers and suppression pop up too often, especially in or near those conservative margins.

“How do you know that a person may not feel particularly included or welcome or comfortable like you do or did?”
> I don’t know! Do you know that it has been this? By what I’m getting from reading the above, people of color aren’t even showing up in the region.

So the ghetto is racist to than we should do study’s on why people should travel to these neighborhoods for vacation. This how idiotic this world has become. I’ve vacationed in ADKS for over 40 years and wouldn’t think of going anywhere else. While my friends and coworkers travel the world and tell me I’m crazy. How about we let people live there live and enjoy what they want

I don’t want to spend my time in Arizona. It’s not because I feel unwelcome or uncomfortable. It’s just not my kind of place. I don’t go to NASCAR races or NBA games. It’s not because I feel unwelcome or uncomfortable. It’s just not interesting to me. Why do we have to blame everything on racism? Maybe it comes down to personal preferences. Or maybe it comes down to finances. I know a stay anywhere remotely touristy these days, including the Adirondacks adds up super quick. I know because I’ve tried to do it myself for a long weekend and had to settle for a day. Fortunately, I don’t live far so that’s a possibility. Please don’t go pinning labels on people you don’t know in the least or accusing them of being uneducated. That just makes you look ignorant and uneducated, which I’m sure is not the case.

I’m incredibly curious to know that the rate of success has been for other institutions that have conducted this type of research. What other museums have done these studies and what has their rate of success been? Can any be cited with confidence? This seems like a lot of money for answers that may prove to be ambiguous.

I think there is all sorts of good social science on this topic but it’s a difficult subject to delve into for some of the reasons you elude to. Lets start with your question regarding everything boiling down to racism: I believe there are cultures who, for reasons of their shared history, fear the forest and separation from their idea of safety. I believe there are cultures who prefer to do everything in large family groups for whom solitude is unappealing and the thought of a group permit is confusing. I think there are lots of things that are hard to talk about because one side of the conversation would view it as a challenge to their beliefs or the status quo. Humans resist change. We haven’t really blamed anything on racism in this country until the last 50 years or so and then only begrudgingly. Perhaps it’s time that we did look at things through that particular lens? Americans go abroad and expect everyone to speak English, they expect everywhere to have food that is familiar to them, and they practically demand access to the amenities they feel accustomed to – I cannot imagine how uncomfortable I would feel in downtown Kampala where nobody looked like, sounded like, or behaved like I do despite the fact that I bet there aren’t any signs that say “we don’t serve your kind here.” This nation is less than half a century removed from turning fire hoses and dogs loose on people because they were different. It shouldn’t be that hard to at least consider framing things in a more inclusive way. That said, I agree with everyone that some things are done to garner votes and appear to come from a place of concern. Nobody should be forced or bused into anything or place they don’t want to be just so we can look diverse.

Balian the Cat, your response is well written and respectful. I appreciate that very much and I respect your point of view as well. I’d just like to say for the record though that personally, I speak one language fairly fluently and a second well enough to get me by if necessary. If I travel to another country, I attempt ahead of time to at least learn some basic phrases. I look forward to trying new foods and participating in local activities. I go out of my way to leave with a better understanding of the place and people I have visited. I don’t expect them to accommodate my needs and whims. It’s a choice. I guess what I’m trying to get at is I don’t expect museums or any other place to feel the need to “include” me. I go willingly to learn and experience. Often times that means feeling uncomfortable, like for me to travel to Turkey, Guadeloupe, Equador, or even NYC or rural Mississippi. Maybe getting more people up here as tourists or as permanent residents comes down to simple economics. Instead of trying to change the identities of these museums, towns, communities, and histories, why not focus on what makes the Adirondacks so special and unique while making it affordable to visit and live here. The research seems to be a moot point and the only ones who will truly benefit will be the consultants and the research firm. Maybe it all just sounds good.

Thank you for reiterating your central point. I glossed over it in my initial response. I have great respect for the way you comport yourself online and abroad. I identify with your desire to experience different things by immersion in them. I also agree that we, as Adirondackers, should represent ourselves as who we are not alter that to paint a more inclusive or diverse picture. The uniqueness of this area should be it’s selling point – I just wonder if the concept of privilege (a term I am uncomfortable with myself and struggling to understand as I strive to become a better person) is behind my agenda when it comes to the needs of others? It must be possible for us to retain our identity and sense of place while at the same time giving more thought to the comfort of others.

I would like to point out to the fact that often these types of diversity related articles on the almanack appear to get the most comments. (Except for rail-trail stuff, but let’s not go there…)

I think the fact that this topic in and of itself remaining “controversial” is strong evidence that the above research is sorely needed. Why wouldn’t groups concerned with tourism want to make tourism more widely appealing in the region? I think the automatic defensiveness on some folks’ part is perhaps a big part of the issue

I’d simply like to know what hard facts support the effectiveness of these studies. Is there any measurable data that supports the value of the study? Is there anything to prove that once the studies are done, the suggestions followed, the outreach performed, that diversity is achieved and sustained?

The problem I have with this article is $300K of Federal money, be it tax payer dollars or fiat currency, being used for something that requires no study but perhaps an action on the part of those hand-wringers and pearl-clutchers who see racism, or better correctly stated, bigotry, around every corner. Why not reach out to a school which is dominated by people of color and invite them on a field trip, outings, etc to experience what is available? This would not cost $300K, but it would be a cost in time, which I do think would be very rewarding.

You are right: be it fishing, hiking, hunting, trapping or any other out door pursuit there are few people of color (yes lets lump all non whites into a homogenous category because they are all similar (sarc.)). But maybe its becase there is too many black flies, winters are too cold, the woods are scary, etc etc. I have met plenty of city people, white people, who are afraid of the woods and do not part take in such pursuits. I would say that people, white people, who live in the Adk’s, maybe for generations, are culturally different than white people form NYC just because of their interests. But they are the same color, how can that be (because all white people are the same, right?) How many NYC folks hunt fish and trap as a percentage? How many Adirondackers go out for sushi, are concerned with all the trappings of city life?

I also take issue with the “conservative margin” term by one of the commenters. I happen to be conservative both fiscal and social, yet because of that I am part of being painted as a bigot with a broad brush…..Pre-judge much?

As a side, I had an encounter with people of color (I say that as they did not share my irish fairness) a few years ago where they were using faciities that were not public (beach and volleyball court) They were out-of-towners, NJ plates. They were politiely told that those facilities are not public and were not allowed. One stated, under his breath, that its probably the color of their skin (could have been Sicilian for all I know). I paused, looked back over my shoulder to my friend, who was born in Haiti, and his wife in the Carribean, so yeah, both people of color, and shook my head.

We cannot control perceptions or what other people feel, because we dont know for sure. There perceptions may be unfounded. Likewise, which one of us would make an effort to visit or vacation in places dominated by people of color (god I hate that term) and not feel out of place. Perhaps you are not out of place and it is all in your head. Predjudice, or to Pre-Judge, is in all of us and iti is not limited to white people or people of color, its built-in every one and probabaly some sort of survival trait on a very basic level. We pre-judge that white toothless hillbilly, that guy in the over-sized pickup, that guy driving the BMW with Jersey plates only to realize we are wrong, or maybe right. People are free to travel and free to associate where and with whom they desire. 300K does not need to be spent on such nonsense.

I believe evolution may have something to do with what we perceive as “racism” today. I believe it is a primitive, human reaction for us to seek out people like ourselves and be leery of people unlike ourselves. We generally are attracted more to the familiar than the unfamiliar. As humans have more of an ability to travel and the ability to learn about and understand other cultures and peoples, over many, many generations this thing we call racism will gradually disappear. But trying to make it disappear rapidly by intellectualizing the problem and labeling people bigots and racists only sows more tension. Labeling people in ANY way doesn’t solve any problems because it simply creates more ways to pigeonhole and divide ourselves. The most productive thing we can do is simply to try to understand why a person thinks or acts the way they do, including ourselves. We can only do that by communicating. I believe we are making very slow, but steady progress.

To get public support for preserving any headwaters forests anywhere where few voters live you need to earn public support in the floodplains like NYC where they do live. And if we don’t want young inner city kids to turn to lawless gangs or become texting addicts weneed to give them true wilderness challenges and experiences. So the obvious solution is to buy up the summer camps being sold off left and right and fill them with inner city kids to give them the healthy experience of summer camp life and an appreciation of nature (John Apperson started such camps for this reason). We don’t need to give white professionals walking around money to write more term papers for each other.